Deborah Cooke

Deborah Cooke is the author of the fantasy romance Dragonfire series. She has also written over forty romance novels under the names Claire Cross and Claire Delacroix.

From her Q & A with Dee Gentle at ParaNormalRomance:

PNR: The Dragonfire series is a paranormal in a contemporary setting: tell us about the challenges you face in world building and making it work with the ideas you have in mind for the progression of your characters and the series?

Deborah C.: The idea that there’s more to the world than is readily visible is a persistent one in the fantasy genre, especially that there are parallel universes or worlds hidden in the shadows. I’ve read a lot of fantasy over the years because I love the unmasking of those layers of secrecy and the richness of the world revealed. I’ve always enjoyed worldbuilding in my books, but this series requires another level of organization, planning and thought to what I’ve done in the past. I’ve started to keep a binder of organized notes, kind of A GUIDE TO THE WORLD OF THE PYR, as a reference for myself. I’ve done this before with my historicals, but on a much smaller scale. It’s a fun challenge to keep it all straight, keep it linked to the world we know, and to push deeper into the Pyr world with each successive book.

PNR: Do you feel your writing is character driven or plot driven? How do you balance these two elements?

Deborah C.: I believe that good stories are both plot and character driven, that there has to be something special about this character being in this situation. The action then is the character’s response to the situation based on his/her nature, and then the action of the plot compels the character to learn and grow and undergo a transformation. I can’t...[read on]

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--Marshal Zeringue